WHAT GOES AROUND, PART NINE

    It was Nick's first day back at the Herald, after his honeymoon.

    "Welcome back," said Jake, "How'd married life?"

     "Great!  Everyone should be married!"  Then, remembering to whom he was talking, he added "Oh! Sorry!"

    "That's okay, Kid," Jake tossed a piece of paper towards Nick, "I got a tip that someone in the City Planning Department is taking bribes.  Go check it out."

     As Nick left, he passed  Cindy on her way in.

    "Jake, you and Vicky had better reconcile, pronto!" she said, "Because, if you don't, Grant is gonna take Kirkland away from her!"

    "That's crazy!" said Jake.

    "Grant says that once the judge hears how Vicky can't even be faithful for six months, he'll decide that she's a unfit mother."

     "I'll kill Grant before I'll let that happen!"

                                                     *********

    Meanwhile, Vicky was at the Cory Mansion, where Shane and his sister had just come to stay.  Shane was still in a wheelchair.

    "Carl, Rachel - thank you for havin' Patti and me in your home." he said.

    "It's our pleasure, Bobby." said Carl.

    "Shane, Darling." said Rachel.

    "I beg your pardon?"

    "You called him Bobby."

    "Did I?"

    "Actually," said Shane, "Ah've been thinkin' that 'Shane Roberts' is like an old suit of clothes that doesn't really fit any more.  Ah've decided to change my name legally to Robert Ryan Reno."

    (The 'Ryan' part would please Carl, and, after all, he DID have Ryan's corneas.)

    "Are you going to go back to being a carpenter, then?" asked Vicky.

    "No, Ah like bein' a doctor, and it would be a shame to waste all that schoolin'."

    "Shane!"  Lila, having entered the estate through the back, suddenly burst through the French doors, "Ah've got to tawk to you!"

    Carl moved to intercept her. "On your bike!" he said, "Unless you want to find yourself under arrest for tresspassing."  As he pushed Lila towards the door, she cried out : "Shane!  Ah'm gonna have yo' baby!"

    Everyone froze in shock.  Vicky was the first to break the sudden silence.

    "So, it's true then." she said, "You and Lila have been sleeping together, all along!"

    "No!" said Shane, "Ah did have sex with Lila  - one time  - when Ah thought Ah was dyin', but it was only the once, Ah swear!"

    "Apparently, once was enough." said Vicky.

    Shane turned to Lila. "If you really are pregnant -"

    "If?"

   " - then Ah'll pay child support, of courrse."

    "Chile support?" said Lila, "Ah wawnt marriage!"

    "That's out of the question." said Shane, "Ah don't love you."

    "You didn't have any trouble the night Ah conceived!"

    "That wasn't love." said Shane, "Ah love Vicky.  She's the only woman Ah'm ever gonna marry.  Ah'll take care of you, and the baby, but that's all."

    "Ah agree." said Sister Patrice, "The two of you made one mistake when you had unprotected sex, but you'd be idiots to compound your error by getting married again."

    Lila gaped at her, "But, Patti -"  she said, "Ah thought - "

    "What, you thought Ah'd tell Shane that it's his duty to marry you?  Why, because Ah'm a nun?  Ah'm also Shane's sister, and Ah want him to be happy.  Ah'm your friend,Lila,  and Ah want you to be happy too."

    "Then, why -?"

    "Ah remember what you seem to have forgotten, Lila." said Patrice, "The two of you were miserable together the first time!  You resented  Shane's dedication to his work, the long hours he spent at the hospital, and so you turned for consolation to a whole series of other men."

    "It was nevuh mo' than flirtation, with any of them!" Lila protested, "Nevuh!"

    "Men always did flock around you like bees around a honeypot," Patrice agreed, "But a happily married woman wouldn't have encouraged them."

    Lila chewed her lip.  This wasn't working out the way she had anticipated, at all.

    "Then, when Shane was accused of killing Rebecca Ambrose," Patrice continued, "When he needed you the most, you ran out on him!  That broke him!  It just broke him!  He didn't even try to defend himself!"

    "All Ah could think, when you left town," Shane said, "Was that you must have killed Rebecca - that Ah had driven you to murder!"

    "Ah didn't do it!" said Lila, "It was that awful Doctuh Ambrose!"

    "Ah know that now, thanks to Vicky." Shane gave Vicky a look of such love that her reserve melted.  She took the hand he held out to her and squeezed it.

    "Shane needs to rest now, Lila," said Patrice, "Y'all can discuss financial arrangements another  time."

    Lila allowed herself to be ushered out of the house without protest.  She had staked everything on the certainty that, if Shane believed himself to be the father of the baby she was carrying, he would leave Vicky and come back to her.  For once, her bag of tricks was empty.

    "It's certainly been an interesting morning." said Rachel.

    "Yes.  If you'll excuse me, I have work to do."  Carl turned abruptly and headed towards the library.

    Rachel watched him exit with a look of concern.  She had not missed the spasm of pain that had crossed his face, although he had tried to hide it.  She turned back to her guests and pulled herself together.

    "I've put you in adjoining rooms." she said, "You'll  share a bathroom.  I hope that's acceptable."

                                                        ******

    When Vicky got home, she found Grant waiting on her porch.

    "What do you want?' she asked.

    "I wanted to give you this personally." he smirked.

    "What is it?"

    "Notification that I'm taking you to court to get custody of my son." he replied, "No judge is going to leave Kirkland with an adulteress."

    "I am not!"

    "It's your pattern, Victoria," he replied, "You enjoy playing two men off against each other, for months,  you marry one of them, and then you decide that you'd rather be with the other.  First it was Ryan and myself, and now it's McKinnon and Dr Roberts.  You're not fit to raise a child!"

    "You're full if it, Grant!"  Unnoticed by either of them, Jake had arrived in time to hear this. "The breakup of me and Vicky's marriage is all MY fault!  She can't forgive me because, when she was locked up in that stinking cellar, I slept with Marley!"

    "If it had been anyone BUT my sister, Jake -!"

    "I know, I know!  I"m stupid!" said Jake, "I'll tell the judge that Vicky did everything she could to save our marriage , but I let her down. So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Grant!"

    After Grant left, Vicky said, "That was quick thinking."

    "Actually, Cindy warned me what Grant was up to, so I was ready for him" said Jake.

    "You really are the best friend I ever  had."

    "So, how's Shane?"

    "You won't believe what happened!"

To be continued